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Christmas day is a good day for chocolate poisoning as well …

You never would have though chocolate could be a dangerous poisonous to dogs, but it is, which is unfortunate because they just love it. Vets see this problem at Easter when parents hide chocolate Easter eggs in the garden the night before and then let their dogs out first thing in the morning. Christmas day is a good day for chocolate poisoning as well because a sly dog will creep down early in the morning and open the goodies under the tree. The problem with chocolate is that it contains contains caffeine and theobromine. These two compounds can be toxic to your dog.

Toxic Levels

This depends on the type of chocolate the dog ate. The levels of caffeine and theobromine vary between different types of chocolate. For example, white chocolate has the lowest concentration of toxins and baking chocolate has the highest concentration.

White Chocolate. Mild signs of poisoning can occur when 45 ounces per pound of body weight is eaten. Severe toxicity occurs when 90 ounces per pound of body weight is eaten.

Milk Chocolate. Mild signs of poisoning can occur when 0.7 ounces per pound of body weight is eaten. Severe signs occur when two ounces per pound of body weight is eaten. This means that a little less than one pound of milk chocolate can be toxic to a 20-pound dog.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate. Mild signs of poisoning can occur when 1/3 ounce per pound of body weight is eaten. Severe signs occur when one ounce per pound of body weight is eaten. This means that as little as six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate can be toxic to a 20-pound dog.

Baking Chocolate. Mild signs of poisoning can occur when 0.1 ounce per pound of body weight is eaten. Severe signs occur when 0.3 ounce per pound of body weight is eaten. Two small one-ounce squares of baking chocolate can be toxic to a 20-pound dog. This type of chocolate has the highest concentration of caffeine and theobromine and very little needs to be ingested before signs of illness become apparent.

Clinical Signs

Pets that have eaten toxic amounts of chocolate could have vomiting and diarrhoea and are generally hyperactive, panting, have increased blood pressure and increased heart rates. This then moves on to tremors, twitches, seizures and possibly death. Dehydration may also occur if there has been significant vomiting and diarrhea.

Treatment

There is no specific antidote for chocolate poisoning, treatment is symptomatic and so depends on the range and severity of the clinical signs and may include intravenous drips, charcoal orally, and medications to help control vomiting, sedatives, and drugs to control seizures if it has got that far. If your dog has just eaten the chocolate within the last hour it would be a good idea to make it sick. Above all seek veterinary advice if you are in this situation, better safe than sorry. Having said that most pets treated for chocolate toxicity recover and return to normal within a couple of days.

Scott Nimmo BVMS